Device to-device communications apparatus and methods

Abstract

A wireless terminal ( 26 1 ) which is in wireless communications with a radio access node ( 22 ) over a radio interface ( 24 ) makes a determination regarding a type of radio resources that the wireless terminal may use for device-to-device (D2D) communications with another wireless terminal. Upon occurrence of a predetermined physical layer condition, the wireless terminal may use at least some wireless terminal autonomous selected device-to-device (D2D) radio resources for device-to-device (D2D) communications with another wireless terminal ( 26 2 ) when the wireless terminal is in coverage of the radio access network. The wireless terminal providing the node with an indication of capability of the wireless terminal to support multi-channel communications comprising plural frequency bands; and the wireless terminal may use at least one of the plural frequency bands for device-to-device (D2D) communications.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method in a wireless terminal, the method comprising:
 generating a radio resource control (RRC) message including wireless terminal capability information, for each of one or more band combinations, indicating whether or not the wireless terminal, which is a user equipment (UE), supports simultaneous transmission of a plurality of communications consisting of (i) communication between the wireless terminal and a base station and (ii) device-to-device (D2D) communication directly performed between the wireless terminal and another wireless terminal, wherein the wireless terminal supports the communication between the wireless terminal and the base station in the one or more band combinations; 
 transmitting the radio resource control (RRC) message to the base station; and 
 performing, based on wireless terminal capability indicated by the wireless terminal capability information, the communication between the wireless terminal and the base station; wherein the wireless terminal in RRC_CONNECTED is served in a serving cell in a first carrier frequency, and the wireless terminal performs the D2D communication in a second carrier frequency. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of the  claim 1 , wherein the second carrier frequency is different from the first carrier frequency. 
     
     
       3. The method of the  claim 1 , wherein the one or more band combinations are according to supported carrier aggregation band combination(s). 
     
     
       4. A wireless terminal comprising:
 processing circuitry configured to generate a radio resource control (RRC) message including wireless terminal capability information, for each of one or more band combinations, indicating whether or not the wireless terminal, which is a user equipment (UE), supports simultaneous transmission of a plurality of communications consisting of (i) communication between the wireless terminal and a base station and (ii) device-to-device (D2D) communication directly performed between the wireless terminal and another wireless terminal, wherein the wireless terminal supports the communication between the wireless terminal and the base station in the one or more band combinations; 
 transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the radio resource control (RRC) message to the base station; wherein 
 the processing circuitry is further configured to perform, based on wireless terminal capability indicated by the wireless terminal capability information, the communication between the wireless terminal and the base station; wherein the wireless terminal in RRC_CONNECTED is served in a serving cell in a first carrier frequency, and the wireless terminal performs the D2D communication in a second carrier frequency. 
 
     
     
       5. The wireless terminal of the  claim 4 , wherein the second carrier frequency is different from the first carrier frequency. 
     
     
       6. The wireless terminal of the  claim 4 , wherein the one or more band combinations are according to supported carrier aggregation band combination(s).